The online voting system for the new group of Young European Ambassadors (YEAs) opened on 20 August and will remain open until 30 September. Following an online audience vote, the 30 top ranked candidates from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Serbia will then be evaluated by the Technical Jury and the YEA Expert Jury, who will finally officially appoint the new 60 Young European Ambassadors.
The YEA network launched in August 2020 with 60 change-makers from Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Serbia. The network promotes diversity while sharing a common vision: learning about one another and the European Union, pursuing creative projects, acquiring new skills, organising inspiring events – always guided by the idea that youth activism is the most powerful tool for social change. The YEAs are now a well-known network, sharing information with their peers about opportunities offered by the EU – from education and skills development, to travel, advocacy, and much more. This next generation of new young leaders will inspire change within their communities and across the Western Balkan region and the EU.
Interests: ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION, EU INTEGRATION
My name is Anastasija Đorđa Bosančić, I am 19 years old and I am an activist and a project developer from Bosnia and Herzegovina.
I am currently obtaining a bachelor’s degree in Political Sciences, with a major in International Relations. Passionate about global politics, human rights and environment, I actively manage several teams in youth organizations and associated projects, volunteers for causes such as inclusion of marginalised groups and is an investigative journalist.
I have participated in numerous prestigious exchanges for youth leaders at international level, both in Europe and the US, some of which are Global In-Fellowship in Berlin and Benjamin Franklin Transatlantic Fellowship at Purdue University. Throughout the past three years I am the youngest elected president of the Students Parliament and has organised numerous successful projects and charity events. I was a delegate, chair and Secretary General of over 30 Model United Nations conferences all around the world and is a delegate of the European Youth Parliament sessions.
I am very dedicated to debating, and I have competed in various debate formats as well as being a debate judge. Currently I cooperate with foreign embassies and UNDP in BiH.
My mission is to inspire young people to get involved.
As part of the EU-supported project “Solidifying the Resilience of Kosovo’s Current and Future Journalists”, BIRN Kosovo is seeking students from Kosovo’s public high schools interested in undergoing training in media production, media literacy and tackling fake news.
In June, two training sessions from the same programme were held with a total of 35 high school students from Gjilan and Ferizaj. BIRN Kosovo will now organise eight additional training sessions for high school students with the aim of nurturing young talent by mentoring students in the production of videos, photos and articles. This will contribute to increased independence, transparency, accountability and civic engagement.The training sessions will introduce the students to journalism, including topics like journalistic language and concepts, reporting standards, photography tips, production materials for video content, video editing, investigative journalism, ethics and author’s rights.
At the end of each training session, youngsters from high schools across Kosovo will pitch their journalistic ideas, which the BIRN team will analyse before selecting a minimum of 60 videos and article ideas that will be published on the KallxoRinia online platform. The production process for all of these articles will be overseen by a team of BIRN Kosovo editors.
An EU-funded project promoting traditional architecture helps villagers in the Albania-Montenegro border region to thrive in tourism
Homemade food and no menu, and everything served fresh from the garden or orchard: this is what guests get when they stay at the Kljajić family guesthouse in the village of Lubnice in Montenegro. Their stay is in a house more than a hundred years old, with traditional furniture and decor. Maja and Milan Kljajić are running this guesthouse along with their four children. Their journey into tourism entrepreneurship has not always been paved with roses. It brought challenges, coincidences but also joy to see the end result and big smiles on guests’ faces.
Apart from its natural beauties and rich cuisine, Lubnice village is also abundant in traditional architecture. This is a result of the very rich culture and history of the region and the delays in modernisation – meaning that many old houses are preserved in the villages of the area between Albania and Montenegro.
“Honestly, I did not believe that the old house could be useful for anything. However, my husband Milan was persistent and soon we became pioneers of rural tourism in our region.”
From small-scale farming to tourism entrepreneurship
Until ten years ago, Maja and Milan had no intention whatsoever of going into tourism. Milan produced organic honey, and the family was generating income from this and other small-scale agricultural production, which they sold in the markets of nearby towns. Apart from the house that they were living in, they also had a house which was over 100 years old. Milan inherited it from his father and grandfather. They used this house as storage for food and for furniture they no longer needed.
As part of his honey production activity, Milan travelled across the region to attend seminars and this is how he got the idea to turn their old house into a guesthouse for tourists. “Honestly, I did not believe that the old house could be useful for anything. However, Milan was persistent and soon we become pioneers of rural tourism in our region,” says Maja.
The house was in very bad shape and the Kljajić family needed to invest in renovation. Only, they did not have the means. Initially, they got support from a donor organisation to fix the roof, which was urgent, and made some other small repairs. Then they could start to receive visitors. Maja remembers the first guests, a group of Bulgarian cyclists, whom they hosted back in 2014. She recalls not sleeping the night of their arrival, being afraid that she would not be able to wake up in time to prepare breakfast for them. “It seemed unbelievable. We were not used to visitors; the whole village was excited and in shock,” says Maja.
This first group was followed by another group and then another, until the house started to be booked for the whole season. However, the growth in popularity was not without challenges. The old house was not fully renovated and had issues, and the family needed support in promotion.
“The EU support was very important. In addition to money for the final renovation of the house, we also got support to promote our guesthouse through brochures and social media. This had an enormous impact on further growth of our business.”
About the project
The EU-funded cross-border cooperation project “Preserving cultural landscape of Albania and Montenegro” started in 2018 and ended in 2020. The aim of the project was to enhance the competitiveness of the tourism sector by incorporating cultural and natural heritage. It contributed to promotion of the traditional architecture of the cross-border area among local and international visitors through exhibitions, social media, and a series of articles in targeted magazines on the topic of traditional elements in modern architecture and preserving cultural heritage. It was implemented by the Bjelasica, Komovi and Prokletije Regional Development Agency and the Polimski Museum from Montenegro in cooperation with EuroPartners Development and the Regional Council of Shkodër in Albania.
This much-needed funding came from an EU-funded cross-border cooperation project called “Preserving cultural landscape of Albania and Montenegro”. This helped the family to complete the renovation of the house while preserving its traditional cultural and historical elements. “The EU support was very important. In addition to money for the final renovation of the house, we also got support to promote our guesthouse through brochures and social media. This had an enormous impact on further growth of our business,” says Maja.
Maja and Milan now plan to continue this business for years to come. They also hope that at least one of their children will share their passion and keep the guesthouse open.
Our Young European Ambassador Gent Salihi, holds a Master degree in Diplomacy and Foreign Policy, serves as a Project Officer at the DCAF Geneva Centre for Security Sector Governance. With an institutional background as a former Cabinet Member of the Ministry of Information Society and Administration, and Secretary of the National Council for Cybersecurity, he brings a wealth of expertise to his current role. Alumni of the Council of Europe School of Policies and Presidential Center for Political Education, Gent has demonstrated his commitment to advancing european integration , regional cooperation and security. He has honed his skills through engagement with prestigious institutions such as the Austrian Centre for Peace, European Security and Defence College and various political and economic think tanks. Fluent in Albanian, Macedonian, English and Turkish, Gent actively contributes to domestic and international dialogues, conferences, and projects, fostering diplomatic relations and promoting effective governance practices.
My name is Ilir Kiçmari, and I am 23 years old, hailing from Kosovo. Mathematics has always been a profound passion of mine. During my high school years, I had the opportunity to participate in the National Mathematical Olympiads and the Team Selection Test for the International Mathematical Olympiad. I was also honored to be selected for the Math Kangaroo Contest in Kosovo.
Currently, I am working on my Master’s Thesis in the Department of Mathematics, where my focus is on Data Science and Artificial Intelligence. Throughout my academic journey, I have been fortunate to receive three merit-based scholarships from the University of Prishtina and the Ministry of Education, Science, and Technology. My studies also took me abroad for an exchange semester at Riga Technical University, an experience that broadened my perspective and enriched my education.
Beyond my academic pursuits, I have been deeply involved in student activism. I served on the student council in the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, and I established the organization Student Initiative for Novation 68. Additionally, I was a member of the governing body of the Student Activism Congress in Prishtina on two occasions. In these roles, I have passionately advocated for increasing the quality of higher education, fostering student activism, and promoting the digitization of university processes.
Currently, I am employed as a Project Manager and Programming Instructor at the Digital School (Shkolla Digjitale) in Prishtina. This role allows me to merge my love for mathematics, teaching, and technology, while also contributing to the education and development of future generations.
My name is Dimitrije Prokopović, I am from Leskovac and I am a 25-year old senior year Mechanical Engineering student at the University of Niš, Serbia.
As one good politician from Serbia once said: “None of us are as good as we could be if we tried harder.” I think the same, and I am continuously trying to go another step forward each day, forward to a better future. I think that in the 21st century most valuable are ideas, time and contacts since we live in times of a global environmental crisis, in time of a global covid pandemic and since both of them are leading to yet another economic crisis I believe that we need to connect and share our ideas so that we can overcome it all asap. That is why two years ago, in 2019, I started being active in the field of Youth activism. I have been volunteering in the international non-profit student organisation – Erasmus Student Network (ESN) at local level, I have also participated in some of the local EU events as a volunteer and I truly believe that we can be stronger together and united in diversity.
In my free time, I like to read books, one of my favorite ones is “1984” by George Orwell, I also like watching movies, spending time in nature while hiking, I love meeting new people and having long and good quality conversations. Even though I study mechanical engineering, political science, human rights and freedom of speech are also some of my big passions. As Oscar Wilde would say: “To define is to limit.”
Interests: Arts and design,Film and photography,Music,Youth activism,Sport
My name is Maja Trajkovic and I’m a fourth-grade secondary-school student. I’ve been involved in activism for five years now and I’m extremely motivated to continue working with NGOs and trying to make some positive changes. I’m a member of the UNICEF advisory board for mental health, where our primary goal is to help young people express themselves more regarding mental health. I’m also a member of the board called “Savet mladih” in “Prijatelji dece Srbije”, where I learned how to write a number of project proposals and organise events (such as debate tournaments and charity events).The main topic I’ve always focused on is human rights, which is why I’m a member of the DX club (Informative and Cultural service for children) in the Centre for children’s rights, where we’ve held multiple seminars and made movies to educate young people about the importance of knowing their rights. I’ve also recently become an official member of EYP Serbia (European Youth Parliament).
Interests: ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION, EU INTEGRATION
My name is Elica Matevska, I am from Skopje, North Macedonia and 26 years old. I am having a Master in the field of Intellectual Property Law. Taking into consideration my five year career experience as a legal officer it has taught me a vast amount of things that are just a proof of a big addition that the law is my passion and my true choice of nature.
In high school I took part in many projects who contributed to the community and our generation who portray my youth activism. The university gave me the basis of the law and it opened my doors to infinite amount of options and chances that the field itself has, so I chose to share my impressions with the youth and that is why I took part in the workshops from “Ucime Pravo” (Youth Educational Forum).
The long walks with my best buddy – my dog, that’s where I draw all the positivity and feel most energised to go thorough the rest of the day in this fast paced world. The moments I would like to freeze time are the ones spent with my lovely friends and family, the parties, the joy of good food and wine.
My name is Bojana Maraš and I graduated in art history and theory, and also specializied in carpets and kilims. Currently I’m doing specialization in communicology and media. I write and publish art reviews and poetry, and have moderated a number of literary and art events. I do research and write about East Asia and Middle East cultures and history, as well as studying Chinese and Arabic, beside English, Italian and Spanish in which I’m fluent. I attended a camp in Changsha and Beijing in China as a scholar of language institute and organized numerous events on thematic of Asian studies. I am an activist for human rights and have been dedicatedly working on this topic for the last few years.
